Spangdahlem opens house to international crowd

Photo By Staff Sgt. Matthew Fredericks | Jacqueline Würdig takes a picture of her son, Philip, inside of a light and medium tactical vehicle troop carrier during the Spangdahlem Air Base Open House 2011 here July 30. Spangdahlem Air Base invited the public onto base to demonstrate the partnership and capabilities of the U.S. and NATO partners.
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SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, RP, GERMANY

08.01.2011

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany - The 52nd Fighter Wing hosted a two-day open house event here July 30 - 31, which included demonstrations of military capabilities, static aircraft displays and aerial demonstrations.

More than 30,000 people attended the exhibition — about 10,000 more than the open house in 2008.

“It was a spectacular event,” said Col. Chris Weggeman, 52nd Fighter Wing commander. “The turnout was wonderful. As an Eifel community, we have a shared sense of purpose, and events like these make what we do on a day-to-day basis more effective.”

“It was good to have this open house,” said Alex Thiel, a German visitor to the base. “It was good to see up-close how each machine works, and it let people in who couldn’t normally come here.”

Ansgar Gehlel, an aviation fan from Germany, travels to different air bases throughout Europe to view aircraft demonstrations. He and his friends said they attended the event not fully knowing what to expect.

“I definitely learned more about the base after coming here,” he said with a laugh. “All of the displays, and especially the jets, were very interesting.”